D3TOX

Review of LifeLine for Youth

Lots of people will down-vote this place because i...

Lots of people will down-vote this place because it's very strict - especially when you first get accepted, there's a lot of freedoms that you don't have anymore. For anyone, that can be a nuisance, and it is in particular for young, stubborn teenagers who are acting out.

I was in the program for 12 months, and I can tell you that I wasn't the biggest fan at first, or even after I graduated. As I have started to live my life without my parents or Lifeline as a crutch, I realize that the tools I learned in the program are invaluable. I am turning 20 this year, and I had just turned 18 when I graduated. The program helped me to overcome some traumatic stress that I refused to address at the time, instead choosing to cope with unhealthy methods to numb that pain; alcohol abuse, codependency on my girlfriends at the time, rebelling completely against my parents, running away from home, lying to them and sneaking around behind their backs, stealing and shoplifting, drug use, depression, and eventual suicide attempts. I couldn't control myself and my parents couldn't control me either.

The program is very much structured so that you do the work. If you want to get better and fix the issues that caused such a downward spiral in the first place, you can earn freedom back and learn how to cope and overcome these issues - with licensed therapists, some who have been doing this since the 90s, I might add. The staff genuinely care about you and although the program is strict, they're not there to bully you into submission like many stories I have heard about other treatment programs. Again, all the work is done by you, or your child. Almost all the kids, when they first arrive, hate it. They complain and rebel just like they did at home; but since the program has resources that the parents could not muster on their own, slowly, these rebellious kids started to find out who they are; they stopped living behind their insecurities and started letting the pain out. I have seen entire family relationships healed by the work done here. Almost all kids come in with a negative attitude, but many leave with a set of skills and tools for handling the real world, hardship, and their own personal demons without sacrificing who they are and what they believe in.

Remember that this is Google: anyone can write a review on here with a gmail account. You'll see some of the reviews are even from past clients who have bad things to say about the place - something I was tempted to do myself. A lot of parents will pull their kids out prematurely, before they've had the chance to go through real healing. Their child manipulates them and makes them seem like the bad guy, all the while accentuating the negative aspects of the program because they're too stubborn to accept the help offered. Again, this is a place where you do the work. So I encourage you, if you're struggling with a son or daughter that you can't help that is dealing with constantly rebelling, dependent drug use, depression, self-harm, or even suicide, give them the help that they deserve.

I would be dead if it were not for this program, but fortunately, I was able to accept the help offered, overcome my mental blocks and emotional traumas, and go back out into the real world really knowing who I am, not trying to be someone else. It was a hard process for me and my family while I was in it, but smooth seas don't make good sailors, and I'm blessed enough to have a family that loves me so much to go through their portion of hardship so that I could live a better life.